Gillibrand ad for NYC touts Stock Act, transparency

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s second TV ad will target the New York City market, and focuses on her reform and transparency agenda — from posting her daily schedule of meetings online to pushing for the STOCK Act, which would require greater financial disclosure from lawmakers. That legislation, signed in April by President Obama, is currently the subject of alawsuit brought by executive branch workers who would rather not be subject to its provisions, fearing security breaches and more.

Gillibrand also notes her decision to post her tax returns online, but neglects to mention that that disclosure came two months after a challenge from her GOP opponent Wendy Long. Long has subsequently extended her disclosure challenge to extend back to the year Gillibrand was seeking her initial election to Congress.

Long has yet to release anything on her own financials — no summary, no tax returns, nada — despite repeated promises that a release is coming “soon.” Her spokesman Dave Catalfamo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

I’m Kirsten Gillibrand and I believe members of Congress should play by the exact same rules as families like yours.

That’s why I took on my own party to end automatic Congressional pay raises.

I was the first member to publish my Senate meetings, requests for funding, and personal income taxes on-line.

And even though it wasn’t popular in Congress, I just passed a new law that – for the first time – bans members of Congress from insider trading.

I approve this message because fixing our economy starts with cleaning up the way Washington works.

Here’s the ad:

And the accompanying press release:

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s campaign released its second ad of the campaign today, and first to air in the New York City media market, in which the Senator talks about one of her top priorities: reforming Washington by making government more transparent and leading by example. The ad, entitled “Cleaning Up Washington” is now running in New York City, Westchester and Long Island. Gillibrand, who has raised over $14 million this cycle, and garnered a 54-16 favorability rating in thelatest public poll of likely voters, will run a positive campaign based on her vision for economic growth and a strong record of accomplishment fighting hard for New York families.

In the ad, Senator Gillibrand talks about her trademark focus on reforming Washington by making government more transparent and accountable to people. During her brief time in Washington, Senator Gillibrand has led by example, becoming the first member of Congress to post a list of her official meetings, personal financial disclosures, and a complete record of all earmark requests she submits on the Internet. This year, Gillibrand became the first member of Congress in history to post her personal tax returns for every year served in elected office directly on her own website for her constituents to see. Gillibrand is also one of only ten U.S. Senators to voluntarily file her FEC reports electronically to make the information available immediately to New Yorkers.

Gillibrand earned national media coverage as an architect in the passing of the STOCK ACT – a bipartisan reform package in the U.S. Senate called the “most substantial debate on congressional ethics in nearly five years.” The Buffalo News declared the STOCK Act “a huge victory for Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand.”

The New York Times has called Senator Gillibrand’s commitment to transparency a “quiet touch of revolution” in Washington. The Sunlight Foundation, the leading advocacy organization dedicated to making government more open and transparent, praised Senator Gillibrand as a pioneer for her work, which has inspired other members of Congress to follow her lead and provide similar information to their constituents.

Not only has Senator Gillibrand voted against raising her own pay, she has taken on her own party, having urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold a vote on legislation that would end automatic pay raises for members of Congress. [HJRes 20, 2007; HR 517, 2007; HR 146, 2009; S. 620, 2009; Letter to Speaker Pelosi, 6/21/10]